85: Chen Yuanyuan

[You smiled and nodded, following the old steward into the pavilion.]

[That Prince, unwilling to be outdone, silently followed you inside.]

[The old steward led you up to a private room on the second floor, where that stunning woman was sitting elegantly, giving you a slight smile.]

[The Prince who followed showed no politeness and sat directly opposite her.]

[The woman acted as if she hadn't seen him and gestured for you to sit down.]

[After a brief chat, you learned her name—Chen Yuanyuan.]

[The name of that Prince shocked you—he was actually Chu Yang!]

[As soon as you heard the name, you couldn't help but blurt out, "You are Chu Yang?"]

[Chu Yang looked at you suspiciously: "Do you know me?"]

[You forced a smile, but inwardly cried out that things weren't good.]

[You knew who Chu Yang was—he was not only a Prince of the Chu Dynasty but also the great-grandson of Chu Tianqi, and the father of Chu Yaoyao.]

[However, according to your calculations, Chu Yaoyao wouldn't be born for another three years, and you were very curious about who her mother was.]

[You also had a good impression of Chu Tianqi, after all, your ultimate skill, Body Manifests Myriad Forms, was obtained from him.]

[You secretly scanned Chu Yang with your Divine Sense, and sure enough—he was a Young Grandmaster!]

[Across the entire Tianhuang Continent, Young Grandmasters referred to the top Geniuses who reached the Grandmaster Realm before the age of twenty-five.]

[You silently estimated that without the System's help, at his age, you would probably still be a 'nobody' in the Body Tempering Realm.]

[Truly, one was in the heavens, the other on the ground.]

[Fortunately, you yourself were not a Genius.]

[Otherwise, a Young Grandmaster like Chu Yang would most likely be captured by Liu Ruyan to refine blood spirit pills, becoming her Cultivation Materials.]

[In this Tianhuang Continent, the fate of these young Geniuses was often this tragic.]

[Even if someone managed to escape, Break through to the Heavenly Human Realm, they would ultimately only dare to hide, completely afraid to show their face.]

[Thinking of this, a wicked scheme suddenly flashed in your mind.]

[Since Chu Yang would be captured sooner or later, you might as well use him first.]

[Moreover, you felt that the most dangerous place was the safest; as long as Liu Ruyan didn't come to the Chu Dynasty, you would be safe here.]

[So you cupped your hands towards Chu Yang and said, "Young Master Chu, your great name precedes you! The title of Young Grandmaster resounds throughout the Chu Dynasty—who doesn't know it?"]

[Chu Yang raised his head smugly and smiled: "Naturally. The elders in the clan all say I am the number one Genius of the younger generation."]

[You continued to flatter him: "I wonder, Young Master Chu, have you heard that the Great Yan Dynasty also has a Young Grandmaster, known as the number one Genius on the Tianhuang Continent?"]

[As expected, Chu Yang became interested and asked curiously: "Oh? The Great Yan Dynasty? I've heard of that place, but it's just a remote small nation. How could it have such a figure?"]

[You began to boast seriously: "Absolutely! It is said he is a once-in-a-millennium prodigy, reaching Innate Perfection at eighteen, and now he is already in the Grandmaster Realm."]

[Chu Yang recalled that he only reached Innate Perfection at twenty, and couldn't help but nod: "That certainly counts as someone important. What is his name?"]

[Seeing that he took the bait, you rejoiced inwardly and said: "His name is Fang Chen, the son of the Duke of Zhenguo of the Great Yan Dynasty."]

[Chu Yang nodded: "Good, I've noted the name. I will certainly go meet him if I get the chance."]

[You were secretly delighted—Liu Ruyan would come to the Chu Dynasty sooner or later because of Chu Yang. If you "sent" Chu Yang over there, she shouldn't come to the Chu Dynasty anymore, right?]

[So you quickly added: "I suggest you set off as soon as possible. I heard he will be leaving Great Yan soon, and if you wait any longer, you might not find him."]

[Upon hearing this, Chu Yang turned his head to look at the silent Chen Yuanyuan, a hesitant expression appearing on his face.]

[You understood immediately—this fellow couldn't bear to leave Chen Yuanyuan.]

[So you continued: "Young Master Chu, how about this: if you can defeat Fang Chen, I will voluntarily withdraw and yield Chen Yuanyuan to you?"]

[These words made Chen Yuanyuan frown slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and did not interrupt.]

[Chu Yang immediately became energized: "Seriously?"]

["Of course! A gentleman's word is his bond!" You guaranteed, patting your chest.]

["Good!" Chu Yang immediately stood up. "I heard the Great Yan Dynasty is hundreds of thousands of kilometers from here; the round trip will take me about two months."]

[Saying this, he looked at Chen Yuanyuan: "Yuanyuan, wait for me. I will surely come back to marry you in two months."]

[As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left, swift and decisive.]

[Only after Chu Yang had gone far away did Chen Yuanyuan speak lightly: "You deliberately tricked him, didn't you?"]

[You smiled: "My sending him away also suits your intentions, doesn't it?"]

[Chen Yuanyuan picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said: "Chu Yang is quite rule-abiding, much easier to deal with than those persistent harassers."]

[You figured it out: Chen Yuanyuan was drop-dead gorgeous but remained unmarried, so this matter was definitely not simple.]

[If she were an ordinary woman, she would have long ago been forcibly married and taken home by some powerful noble.]

["It looks like I've gotten myself into big trouble!" you said half-jokingly.]

["Aren't you afraid?" Chen Yuanyuan looked at you curiously.]

[You laughed: "Are you going to negotiate terms with me now, asking me to pretend to be your husband and promising me wealth and glory?"]

["I didn't expect you to be so smart." Chen Yuanyuan also smiled.]

["Your surname is Chen... Could you be Marshal Chen's granddaughter?" you asked tentatively.]

["I thought you weren't a local. It seems I misjudged you—which family do you actually belong to?" Chen Yuanyuan stared intently at you.]

["I am indeed not from the Chu Dynasty, but your identity isn't hard to guess. You are so beautiful and haven't been snatched away by a powerful noble—how could that be without some background?" You teased with a smile.]

["Your Majesty wants to take me as a consort. I threatened to kill myself, and only then did my grandfather agree to let me use this method to defer." Chen Yuanyuan's tone was gloomy.]

["This Emperor Chu really has the audacity of a lecher." You immediately complained.]

[Although you were lecherous yourself, you just couldn't stand seeing a beautiful woman fall into someone else's hands.]

["Are you really not afraid?" Chen Yuanyuan looked at you.]

[You smiled helplessly: "The person I fear is not in the Chu Dynasty."]

["I hope you can pretend to be my Husband. You can name any conditions." Chen Yuanyuan nodded and seriously said:]

["The kind that's in name only?" you asked jokingly.]

["Since it's a pretense, naturally. But I will give you the status and wealth you deserve," she answered decisively.]

["Why did you choose me back then?" you asked curiously.]

["Because among the people present at the time, only you were a new face," she replied truthfully.]

["Those in the know wouldn't dare catch your embroidered ball, right? Even if they had the courage to catch it, they probably wouldn't live long enough to enjoy it," you said with a laugh.]

["Exactly. So from now on, you will live here in the Dream Realization Tower. I will have someone arrange a courtyard for you in the back garden," she said.]

[You chuckled: "Status and wealth are fleeting clouds to me. I risked my life to catch that embroidered ball—is this all you're giving me?"]

["The moment you caught the embroidered ball, you were already targeted by many people. Right now, throughout the Imperial Capital, only my Dream Realization Tower can guarantee your safety." She smiled faintly:]